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NFETERS, FMOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, HC1

MPETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHNGTON. D, C

@uitrit tate igaftrat4 'ffies Lamparas No. 80,008, ma ,my ,'14, 1868.-

IMPROVED CLAY-MILL.

faite ttehtli rifinita in tout Etnias rztin mit mating @at 0f; ilgesans.

Be it known that I,iNA-TIIANIEL F. POTTER, of theicity and county of Providence,in the State of vRhode Island,have inventednew and useful Improvements in Machinery for Working Clay to be Moulded into Bricks; and I do hereby declare that the following vspecification, taken linv connection with the drawings making a part of the same, isla. full, clear, and exact description thereof. Y'

Figure lrepresentsan lelevation of the apparatus.A

Figure 2 exhibits a plan; p

In the accompanying drawings, the circular bed A, surrounded by the rim B, thetempering-wheel with the machinery fof causing such wheel to be moved alternately back and forth along its sweep-axle, radiating from the central shaft D, as the wheel travels through the bed of clay in` the mill, is substantially thev same apparatus for tempering clay described in the'Iietters Patent to vNathaniel..Adams ofjDecember 16, 1833, with the -exception that such tempering-mill is `constructed with delivery-apertures or pockets, E, (one of which is shown in thedrawing,) and a'scraperin combination therewith 'for discharging the mass'of material after it has 'been tempered, and which improvement is described in the Letters Patent heretofore 'granted to me, May 1,

A. D.f1866. The drawings, iig. 2, also exhibit a means for disconnecting the machinery, which vcausesnthe temperingnvheel to be moved alongits axlci'rom the driving-shaft, and which will be referred to hereafter. F represents an apparatus for moulding clay into the form ot' bricks, which Ahas long been in use. .lhesetwo setspfapparatus are combined together by means of a closed trough or conduit G and forcingscrew`W, as shown, the tempering-mill being placed at a suitable elevation to accommodaterthe moulding-` upparatus.

My rst improvement consistsina means 'for disconnecting'at pleasure the apparatus, which causes the i tempering-'wheel to travel along its-agile as the wheel revolves from the shaft, which gives motionrto thev sweep4 or axle on which such `wheel is placed. v Y

Inasmuch as my apparatus contemplates the discharge yof the clayr after it hasbeen tempered through the apertures E, (the doors, a, to which are closed while the tempering process is going on,) it becomes important that the tempering-wheel, during the time that the scraperrll doing its work, should be permitted to travel in one track, so as not, by it-s movement along its axle, 'to nterferewith` the scraper, which, during the operation of discharging the clay, is temporarily connected with the axleloi' the wheel. l `In order to effect sifch disconnection at pleasure, the Vpinion J, which carries on its' axle 'the `four-armed pinion b, operating the rack c, and obtains its motion from the toothed whcel'L on the driving-shaft D' is held in its properpositonby means of a strap or keeper, M, and anadjustingscrew, c. The length of this keeper is such that upon turning the screwvin one direction, the pinion J'will be drawn away from engagement with tledriving-wheel L, theend of such screw being swivel-jointed to the sweep-arm N, and its threads engaging with thethreads of a fixed'nut upon theouter end of the keeper-M, such nut being located at'right angles with the length-of the latter- By turning the screw c in vthe reverse direction,` the connection between the pinion .I and the driving-wheel L will be restored.. 4 I,

It is quite obvious that with' this arrangement the connection between the driving-shaft and the mechanism which causes the wheel to traverse its agile can be brought intoconnection or bo disconnected at pleasure, and

that upon the disconnection being made,`the tempering-wheel will continueto travel in one track, as, for instance,`

in that indicated by the position of the whcelshown in red lines, fig. 2, and not interfere with the scraper'.

f Another improvement consistsin the means employed for connectingthe main line of shaft'ing (which is supposed to drive all the machines in the brick-yard) with the special machinery for 'tempering the clay. Heretoiore a clutch-box' coupling has been used' as a means of connection, but vthe resistance to belovercome is'so great that consta-nt' breakages to the .machinery are occurring fr'omthe shock which takes place at starting.v

For this reason, it hasbeen customary to stop the engine which drivesthe machinery of the yard, and start it again slowly, whenever it became necessary to set a tempering-mill in operation, thereby interfering-with the regular working 'of' all the other machines employed.

It is highly desirable, therefore, to employ some `means of conneetion thatwi1l enable the apparatus for tempering the clay to be started gradually;l something 'that will be more reliable than a belt, which-is not applicable conveniently to a casewhere the speed is so low, but ytheresistan'ce so great, and that will be com pletely under control, so as to allow of thev starting of each tempering-machine withouti'first slowing the engine .which drives the machinery of the yard.

lAccordingly, I connect the upright shaft D, which drives the tempering-mill (by means of a friction-strap, P, fig. 1,) with the gear-wheel O, driven by the pinion d, deriving its motion from the main line of shafting, `Which strap, when made to hug the drum Q, attached to the gearwl1eel O, and revolving withit, will communicate motion to the shaft D. For this purpose the strap P has one end made fast to a stud-pin projecting from thecirelar plate or platform B., and which plate is keyed to the shaft D. The other end ofthe strap is attached to the wrist of a erankmounted in abearing, S, attached to the edge of'the plate R. This crank can be vibrated by'mcans of a levcr,f, keyed to its shaft. l

' Upon the face of the plateR, a' windl-ass, T, with' a suitable ratchet-plate, g, andiholding-pawl attachment,

It, is nounted, and a chain, oneendio't` .whiclris connected with the lever f, is wound around the barrel of the windlass. v v

It' is very-clear thatavlicn the windlass is Worked, the strap P will be made to embrace thfe drum @,and

' movement i'vll be communicated to the plate R and to the shaft D. lAtother times thedrum Q will revolve freely within the coil of the strap, and the shaft D will remain at rest. i-

Instead of the plate R, a radial arm, of suilicient width `to furnish support for the windlass T, could be used, but-a plate is more4 convenient, inasmuch as it affords a convenient platform for the operator to stand upon, while he adjusts the strain of the friction-strap to the requirements of the ease.

` Thc"moulding-apparatus is connected with the tempering-apparatus by means of a closed trough or con.- duit, Gr.l Beneath the delivery-apertures E is arranged, in a suitably-enclosedspace connectingLwithrand forming a part oi' the conduit, as shown, a screw, W, the convolntions of which will, as the screw is made to revolve in its bearings, force the clay, as it is discharged, in a mass along the conduit and into themoulding-apparatus. i

The moulding-apparatus is driven bythefriction-plate X, which, ,by means oi' the lever X', is brought up tothe face oflanothi'er plate, V, whose-motion is derived in any convenient way from vthe mainline of'shafting.-

This le'ver'X( can be weighted, so that the amount of friction exerted, and eonsequcntlyth rate of speed at which `the,moulding-.'a.pparatus shall be run, can be varied at pleasure, and as the forcing-screw W is driven by power communicated from the gearingv which drives the moulding-apparatus,tl1e clay will be-fed to the'mouldingmill as fastand no faster than it is vrequired to take the place ot' that which has been moulded and discharged.

The whole apparatus herein described, and represented in the drawings., ekhibits'in its arrangement and i c o l n c l a 1 combination of dev1ces al practical and convenient system of machinery for working clay and like material involving the several ad'vantageswhieh have been hereinhefore stat'ed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv v Combining the rack-and-pinion mechanism c (for giving a radial movementpon its axle to thetempering# wheel) with vits driving-gear, L, by means of the adjusting-screw c, or equivalent device, for breaking the cenncction between the two at pleasure, substantially as herein described. 2. I also claim combining the driving-shaft, D, of a tempering-mill with the driving-gearing by means of thc friction-strap P, applied and operati-ing in the manner substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof, Il have hereunto set my hand," this second day of March, A. D. 1868.

I 'NATHANIEL F. POTTER. Witnesses:

WILLIAM W. Riemen,- JonN' D. TxiirnsToN. 

